


In the beginning....

by fawatson



Category: Outcast - Rosemary Sutcliff
Genre: Backstory, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 07:48:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4052149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fawatson/pseuds/fawatson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justinius meets his wife.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the beginning....

**Author's Note:**

  * For [riventhorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/riventhorn/gifts).



> **Request:** Justinius - Outcast  
>  **Optional Details:** I would be happy with anything exploring these characters. I love backstory or missing scenes in particular and am a big fan of historical detail. No Justinius/Beric - I prefer them in a father and son relationship, not a romantic one.  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters and make no profit by them.  
>  **Author's Notes:**  
>  (a) The VI Victrix Legion was relocated from Spain to Britain by the Emperor Hadrian and helped with the construction of Hadrian's Wall and, later, the Antonine Wall. The legion headquarters were at Eberacum (York).  
> (b) Corstopitum (Corbridge) was originally a wooden fort but rebuilt in stone at the time when the Antonine Wall was built. Even forts built predominantly of wood often had a few important buildings made of stone;  
> (b) In Roman mythology Fortuna was the goddess of luck and fortune, Mithras was the god most popular with soldiers (and Sutcliff tells us that Justinius has the brand of Mithras on his forehead), Fecunditas was the goddess of fertility and Epona was the Gallo-Roman goddess of horses, donkeys and mules, and also fertility.

Not for the first time, Justinius thanked Fortuna. His previous assignment had certainly been more _comfortable_ ; and all road work in the Empire certainly was _important_. But it could hardly have been said to be breaking new ground. Some had groaned when told the Victrix was being sent to Britain. His heart had been joyful. He remembered the tales his mother had told of her childhood and looked forward to seeing the place where she was born. She had only spent the first few years of her life there; but it had clearly left a great impression (or at least her stories about misty hills had on his five year old soul). Not that he had been sent to Aquae Sulis; but Justinius had visited there last year soon after arriving in Britain; and, in memory of his long dead mother, made his libation to the gods who ruled there, before turning his face north. 

Upgrading the roads around Corstopitum certainly provided plenty of interesting work; but what he really wanted was to be further north still. _That_ was where the real challenge lay: roads were all very well but a _wall_. Even the treat of rebuilding Jupiter’s temple in stone couldn’t compare with that. Justinius had felt real resentment when first told he would be staying at base. Not that it had affected his work; he had too much pride in his craft. Mithras did not favour shoddy craftmanship. More recently, though, he had come to be pleased. Justinius straightened as a flash of bright colour to the left caught his attention. She was there watching again. 

“Servius,” he called. “Take over here for the moment.” He pretended not to notice the knowing look on his faithful optio’s face, just downed tools and clambered down from the temple wall. By the time he got to the vantage point she was, of course, nowhere to be seen. But this day he did not turn back. The minx had been laughing at him all week; it was now the time to turn tables on _her._ Steadily he tracked her down, systematically quartering the fort until finally he found her watering two horses by the stream. 

He paused behind a hawthorn tree, for a moment, just watching. As she moved, her light brown hair, which was pulled back from her face into a ponytail high on her head, swung, catching the sun. The light shining through the long thick hair turned strands of it almost golden. She was tall, with a slender figure. A fine bead necklace emphasised her long slender neck. That many men preferred more voluptuous women he knew from times he’d had gone drinking with friends at the end of a hard day’s work. This delicate, willowy young woman’s more subtle beauty would appeal to fewer. Still, it was odd she was not yet spoken for. His breath caught as in one smooth graceful gesture she bent and scooped up water in cupped hands, lifting and throwing it outward, before turning to stare boldly into his eyes. A clearer invitation he would never have. Justinius stepped from behind the tree. 

“I wondered how long it would take you to follow,” she smiled. “I had a bet on with Cordaella.”

“Cordaella?” he replied. “You _know_ her?” His optio had married a local girl two months ago. 

“Of course, I know everyone in Coria.” 

“Coria?” he allowed his puzzlement to show. 

“ _Our_ name for this place. What, you didn’t think it was _your_ place first, did you?” 

He shook his head silently. Some forts were built in fresh places but the signs of earlier occupancy were easy for an engineer to find; he’d known this for an old settlement taken over by his people when they moved north. 

“How do you know Cordaella?” Justinius hadn’t realised she had close ties to the local people. British – yes, that he knew. But she had seemed friendless, except for the Romans who frequented her stall, and every bit willing to adopt Roman customs, as well as her Roman name, when she married Servius. 

“As daughter of the headman I know everyone,” she said haughtily, before relenting and adding, “besides, we are old friends. She only left the tribe after her husband was killed in a hunting accident. The rest of her people had died the year before of the summer fevers, so she had no one to go back to and opened the business in the fort.”

She added archly, “she’s _told_ me about you.” 

“And what has she said? Nothing but good, I hope,” he replied. 

“Complaints about how hard you work Servius. They are new-married, after all. If Rome tires him too much, she’ll never get the babe she wants.” 

“Clearly the demands of earthly Rome must bow to heavenly Fecunditas. I’ll make sure I reorganise his schedule immediately,” he quipped. “But has Epona no other demands?” He stroked the roan mare whose bridle she held, before venturing to tug the young woman’s hair very gently, “perhaps a request for some special ornament for her tail?”

She laughed, “I might do, and then again I might not. But it wouldn’t be a mere ornament.” 

She gave the mare a signal which lifted her head from the stream, then handed Justinius the reins, while whistling to the other horse that had moved a few steps downstream while they talked. 

“You do ride?” 

He nodded. 

“Then catch me if you can,” she cried, as she vaulted onto the back of the black horse. Startled he watched a moment as she cantered west. That horse was a good one, young, with a spring in her step that promised greater speed than the mare she had left to him. It was blatantly obvious she was not asking all that horse could give. Giving chase was not worthy though. To be _allowed_ to catch up did no one honour. Calmly, Justinius guided his mare to the side of a large rock before sedately he mounted. He turned the roan toward a narrow path, steeper than the open meadow the black had traversed, but considerably shorter. His horse picked her way carefully to a point where he had built a hide a few months earlier from which to watch for deer. The hill was not particularly high, just enough to provide a natural lookout. Unless he missed his guess…ah, yes: there she was…. The speed of her departure had dropped as she neared a boggy patch where stream met pond. Justinius pressed his heels to his horse, urging her now to a quick trot, taking advantage of the drier high ground to circle ahead of his quarry. He hid behind an elder waiting for her to draw near, then suddenly urged his horse against hers, reached across, and pulled her across the two mounts into his strong arms. Startled her eyes opened wide; shocked her mouth dropped. He sealed her lips with his kiss. 

“Mine now!” he grinned in satisfaction.

“No - mine!” she laughed. "And no mere ornament!"


End file.
